Californians will be able to register to vote all the way until election day after Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed a measure into law to allow for that.

However, the practice will not be in place this year or for several years, likely starting in 2016 at the soonest, according to the secretary of state.

"Voting - the sacred right of every citizen - should be simple and convenient," Brown said in a statement announcing his signature. "While other states try to restrict voters with new laws that burden the process, California allows voters to register online - and even on election day."

Brown last year signed into law a bill to allow for online registration, which took effect last week and is available for this election. The last day to register to vote for the November election is Oct. 22.

The governor was referring to recent laws in other states, which have been challenged in the courts, to require voters to show some type of identification at the polls in order to vote.

The practice has been limited because of concerns about the ability to verify the eligibility of a person to vote on the spot, said Jennie Bowser, senior fellow at the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Under the California law, people who vote on election day or in the 13 days prior to that will cast provisional ballots and elections officials would have until the end of the election canvassing period to determine whether the person was actually eligible to cast a ballot.

Implementation of the practice will take place the year after a new statewide voter registration database has been certified by the secretary of state, which will take several more years.

In addition to the same-day registration bill, the governor on Monday signed a bill that will allow any member of a voter's household to turn in a vote-by-mail ballot at a polling place on behalf of that voter.

Previously, that was allowed only if the voter was ill or disabled. This measure, AB2080 by Assemblyman Rich Gordon, D-Menlo Park, also takes effect after this year's election.